1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fuel gel and processes for preparing the same. More particularly, this invention relates to an environmentally friendly fuel gel.
2. Description of Related Art
Gelled fuels can be used as sources for heating, such as for cooking with a chafing dish. In this setting, the gelled fuel is situated within a container located underneath a chafing dish and ignited to warm the food present within the chafing dish. There are two types of chafing fuels currently on the market. One chafing fuel is made from alcohol and the other uses a combustible liquid (commonly diethylene glycol) with a wick. For the alcohol chafing fuels, there are two types of alcohol commonly used: methanol or ethanol. When ethanol is used, regulations require that it be “denatured.” The denaturization process simply means that something must be added to make the ethanol non-beverage grade. Alcohol containing such an addition is referred to by the regulations as “Specially Denatured Alcohol” or “SDA.” Furthermore, when SDA is used for industrial purposes, it is not taxed like beverage alcohol. The U.S. Treasury Department's Tax and Trade Bureau's (TTB) regulations allow for the use of several different denaturants within different industrial areas. The non-toxic denaturant denatonium, which may be in the form of denatonium benzoate (commonly sold under the trade name BITREX®) or denatonium saccharide, is available under the TTB' s regulations as a denaturant for cosmetic products such as hair gel and the like, but has not previously been allowed for use in fuels.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,880 discloses a fuel paste including ethanol, a thickening agent, and an inorganic fuel carrier mixture of silicon dioxide and another compound.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,890 discloses gelled organic liquids containing a base neutralized anionic polymer and an auxiliary rheological additive.